Sunday, December 7, 2008

April Susanne Wiss, Monday4 the Missing

April Susanne Wiss was 16 years old in January, 2000 and staying with a friend of her mother, Dee Clasen, in the same apartment building in Wichita, Kansas. April, nicknamed "Squeaky", apparently needed to see what life was like on her own outside of her mother's care and was probably testing her boundaries as most 16 year olds.

April was scheduled to testify as a witness in a felony trial on January 13, 2000, but she never made that date. Although she was apprehensive about the testimony, she agreed to testify as a witness. On the evening of January 11, just 2 days before the trial, April left home with her wallet, pager and keys, never to be heard from again.

According to Dee, April didn't just take off, although initially she was classified as a runaway, then re-

classified as a missing person. She had just given money to her roommate for food and rent, the money was still at their home, along with April's clothes and belongings things she would have needed if she was running away.

There have been no reports of whether April received a phone call before leaving her home, of a scheduled date. Her roommate had already gone to bed, so probably wouldn't know if a phone call came in for her. As in similar cases authorities are baffled and can't prove whether her disappearance is connected to testifying, whether she met with foul play, or if she left for California, which she had often wanted to do.

Dee Clasen has been a champion for the missing since April's disappearance. She has worked locally in Wichita to bring awareness to the many missing persons in Kansas, with Team Hope, and also has featured April with several missing persons organizations, including 411Gina and their "Squeaky Wheel Tour", CUE Center for Missing Persons and the "Road to Remember Tour", Project Jason and the "18 Wheel Angels".

Dee has been instrumental in honoring April this year at Peace4 the Missing by creating the "April Tree", an interactive way for members to support and encourage each other through the holiday season, which is extremely hard to enjoy when your loved one is missing.

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:Wichita Police Department316-337-6552

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: January 11, 2000 from Wichita, KansasClassification: Endangered MissingDate Of Birth: September 1, 1983Age: 16 years oldHeight and Weight: 6'0, 165 poundsDistinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes. Wiss's hair was dyed dark brown at the time of her 2000 disappearance. She has three black dots tattooed on her right hand between the base of her thumb and wrist. Wiss has several scars underneath her right pinky finger. Her nickname is Squeaky.Clothing/Jewelry Description: A white t-shirt, a navy blue jacket with gray lining, flared jeans and white tennis shoes.